Rloading pistol rounds- Which die is best?

i too fire 357 lever

i tumble my brass every 2-3 firings and inspect for damage, also keep brass in batches, so if one or two start to look worn, bin the lot

i use lee turret press, i know it's not the best on the market, but it makes reloads that are more accurate than i am!

i use lee carbide dies (4 peice set)

when brass is new, resize the full length of the case, this ensures that the round will chamber.

once brass has been fired, the body of the brass will have expanded to fit the chamber of your rifle, this is what is known as "fire formed", from now on, set your de-capper / resizer, so it only resizes the neck of the case. this reduces brass wear, and improves accuracy

the expanding die is the second die, which also can be used to add the powder. you should set this die so that it flares the neck of the case in order to accept the bullet, again, if you flare too much you will shorten the life of the brass, on the other hand, if you dont flare enough, the round will get mashed when you put the bullet in.

the bullet seating die is relativly streight forward

i really like the crimp die, its not esensial for revolvers, but for tube mags, it prevents compression, and also makes the rounds fire more consistantly.

i don't bother trimming my brass, i'm too lazy, i just bin it at the range when it gets worn.

reloading just takes practice, i'd invest in a pulling hammer, so you can split rounds which you are not to sure about, and make sure you keep your ears open for squibs!

feel free to email me if you have any other q's!

Most decapping dies already resize the case on one operation. Expansion dies are usually used prior to seating the bullet.

No sense in expanding, then resizing then having to expand again. After while you case mouths may not want to hold bullets.

I use Dillon, RCBS, and Lee equipment, I really like Dillon but the Lee stuff works great at a fraction of the cost.

Only recommendation I have is to use carbide dies. No lube to deal with!

I would periodically measure my case lengths and trim when needed. After every loading, (I don't think, anyways) is not neccessary. Everyone has their little procedure, after while you will develop your own.

Be safe! Reloading is like a whole other hobby. I enjoy my "bench time" as much as I do my range time.

Semper Fi!

In most cases, unless you're using a Lee Loader-type hand loader, the resizing die is also the decapping tool.

In most cases, if you're firing the reloaded ammo in the same firearm it was originally fired in, full length resizing is an option, not a requirement. Straight walled cases like the .357 just need to be length trimmed now and then. But with modern dies doing both the resizing and decapping in one step, there's really no reason *not* to resize.

Compared to some pistol rounds, yes. Compared to others, no. Recoil is light next to a .357 or .45, but with proper hollowpoints it will stop an attacker just the same. The 9mms crappy reputation came from police departments using the "politically correct" FMJ round, which does suck as a manstopper. Once NYC and other agencies switched to hollow points reports of the 9mm not working dropped off.

You must at least resize the neck to make it grip the bullet properly. if you are firing the ammo in only one gun, then full lenght resizing is not necessary. If it will be used in more than one gun, you may have to full length resize to be sure that it will chamber in all of your guns since chambers often vary slightly in size from one gun to another. At the factory, when they reem out the chamber, if they are using a new reamer, the chamber will be ever so slightly larger than one cut with a well used reemer. All will be within specs but the specs have an upper and lower limit on size.

You gotta trim the case too. Go ahead, resize, trim and then reload. I'd go with the Lee stuff` Not only is it the cheapest, it is the best. In the case of Lee precision they give you the most bang, and accuracy for the buck.

And I'd recommend a carbide sizing die. No lubricant required. Saves you a step.

you want to use both, it's better for your brass, just dont skip steps and be vigelint in your reloading, I started reloading about 30 years ago......It's a great pastime.........

go with lee